''Lovelace'' is a 2013 American

biographical drama A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a Nonfiction, non-fictional or History, historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. The ...

film centered on porn actress

Linda Lovelace Linda Lovelace (born Linda Susan Boreman; January 10, 1949 – April 22, 2002) was an American pornographic actress who became famous for her performance in the 1972 hardcore film '' Deep Throat''. Although the film was an enormous success, Bor ...

, star of '' Deep Throat'', a landmark 1972 film at the forefront of the

Golden Age of Porn https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MediaWiki_talk:Spam-whitelist/Archives/2018/01#Another_Worthy_Journal_Article_on_Wordpress ---> The term "Golden Age of Porn", or "porno chic", refers to a 15-year period (1969–1984) in commercial American porno ...

. ''Lovelace'' covers her life from age 21 to 32. Directed by Oscar-winning duo

Rob Epstein Robert P. Epstein (born April 6, 1955), is an American director, producer, writer, and editor. He has won two Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature, for the films ''The Times of Harvey Milk'' and '' Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt ...

and Jeffrey Friedman, the film was written by Andy Bellin and stars

Amanda Seyfried Amanda Michelle Seyfried ( ; born December 3, 1985) is an American actress. Born and raised in Allentown, Pennsylvania, she began modeling at age 11 and ventured into acting at 15, with recurring roles as Lucy Montgomery on the CBS soap opera ...

Peter Sarsgaard John Peter Sarsgaard (; born March 7, 1971) is an American actor. His first feature role was in '' Dead Man Walking'' in 1995. He then appeared in the 1998 independent films ''Another Day in Paradise'' and ''Desert Blue''. That same year, Sarsga ...

Sharon Stone Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress. Known for primarily playing femme fatales and women of mystery on film and television, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1990s. She is the recipient of various ...

Adam Brody Adam Jared Brody (born December 15, 1979) is an American actor, writer, musician, and producer. He is known for his breakthrough role as Seth Cohen on the Fox television series ''The O.C.'', which premiered in 2003. Subsequently, Brody appeared ...

James Franco James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor and filmmaker. For his role in '' 127 Hours'' (2010), he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Franco is known for his roles in films, such as Sam Raimi's ''Spider-Ma ...

Chloë Sevigny Chloë Stevens Sevigny (, born November 18, 1974) is an American actress, model, filmmaker and fashion designer. Known for her work in independent films, often appearing in controversial or experimental features, Sevigny is the recipient of se ...

, and

Juno Temple Juno Temple (born 21 July 1989) is a British actress. She has appeared in the films ''Notes on a Scandal'' (2006), ''Atonement'' (2007), ''The Other Boleyn Girl'' (2008), ''The Three Musketeers'' (2011), ''The Dark Knight Rises'' (2012), '' Mag ...

. ''Lovelace'' had its

world premiere A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its f ...

on January 22, 2013, at the

2013 Sundance Film Festival The 2013 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 17, 2013, until January 27, 2013, in Park City, Utah, United States, with screenings in Salt Lake City, Utah, Ogden, Utah, and Sundance, Utah. The festival had 1,830 volunteers. Films A r ...

and opened in a U.S.

limited release __FORCETOC__ Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few theaters across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...

on August 9, 2013.

Plot

In 1970, 21-year-old Linda Susan Boreman is living with her parents in Florida, having moved from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. While out dancing one night with her best friend, Patsy, Linda attracts the attention of a man named

Chuck Traynor Charles Everett Traynor (August 21, 1937 – July 22, 2002) was an American businessman and talent agent best known for having promoted the careers of pornographic film stars Linda Lovelace and Marilyn Chambers, both of whom were also married t ...

and the two soon develop a relationship after a vulnerable Linda reveals to him that the relationship with her parents is strained. The strain was caused because Linda had earlier given birth to a son out-of-wedlock and her domineering mother Dorothy had tricked her into putting the baby up for adoption. Chuck, much older than Linda, begins teaching her how to perform sexual acts, which she is initially thrilled about. After breaking curfew one night, Linda is berated by her mother Dorothy; forcing Linda to move out so she can live with Chuck, later marrying him. During a party, Linda watches one of Chuck's homemade pornographic films for the first time and tells him that good girls never do things like that. Six months later, Linda bails Chuck out of jail for facilitating prostitution, although he claims to have had little knowledge of what went on in the parking lot behind his bar. Desperate for money, he persuades Linda to become a porn actress. By 1972, Linda begins working on a film, '' Deep Throat'', in which she uses her new stage name "Linda Lovelace". The movie becomes a huge hit, making over $30,000 at the box office in its first week. After it becomes a worldwide phenomenon, Linda is interviewed by a variety of print and radio reporters and becomes the subject of late-night television humor. Her life is seen as exciting and glamorous, and Linda poses nude, and attends parties, weekly. During a private screening in Los Angeles,

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

founder

Hugh Hefner Hugh Marston Hefner (April 9, 1926 – September 27, 2017) was an American magazine publisher. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of ''Playboy'' magazine, a publication with revealing photographs and articles which provoked charges of obsc ...

convinces Linda that she has the potential to be more than a porn actress. However, Chuck's violent and cruel nature is gradually exposed and Linda's life is revealed not to be as perfect as it seems. Chuck seemingly chokes Linda during sex, refusing to stop when she asks, and later forces her into prostitution at gunpoint. A battered Linda soon visits her parents seeking to move back in. Despite telling them of Chuck's dominating abuse towards her, Dorothy encourages Linda to endure her ordeal as their religion forbids divorce. When learning that Linda has been discussing a new salary with the movie's director,

Gerard Damiano Gerardo Rocco "Gerard" Damiano (August 4, 1928 – October 25, 2008 ) was an American director of adult films. He wrote and directed the 1972 cult classic '' Deep Throat,'' which starred Linda Susan Boreman ''aka'' Linda Lovelace. He also dir ...

, without telling him, an enraged Chuck punishes her by making Linda shower in freezing cold water. Years after Deep Throat's success, Chuck tries to persuade Linda to do another porn film. When Linda refuses, a now sadistic Chuck takes her to a party and forces Linda to participate in a gang bang. Her attempts to escape result in Chuck sleeping on top of Linda, almost suffocating her. The following day, Linda secretly meets with Anthony Romano, telling him she wants out of the porn business and also revealing the abuse inflicted on her by Chuck. Disgusted, Romano has her checked into a private hotel while he and his bodyguards attack Chuck for abusing Linda and for the $25,000 he owes. Six years later, Linda marries Larry Marchiano, moves to Long Island and has a young son. Linda later takes a

polygraph A polygraph, often incorrectly referred to as a lie detector test, is a device or procedure that measures and records several physiological indicators such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity while a person is asked an ...

test before publishing her autobiography '' Ordeal'', which details years of Chuck's physical and sexual abuse, as well as his stealing all of her earnings. Linda appears on ''

Donahue Donahue is the Americanized version of Irish surname Donohoe, which, in turn, is an Anglicized version of the ancient Irish name "Donnchadh" (sometimes "Donncha"). Donncha was a common “first name” in 9th Century Ireland, and when the use of ...

'', and her distraught parents break down in tears while watching her. A few days later, the Marchianos travel to Florida for Linda to reconcile with her parents.

Cast

as Dorothy Boreman *

Robert Patrick Robert Hammond Patrick (born November 5, 1958) is an American actor. Known for portraying villains and honorable authority figures, he is a Saturn Award winner with four other nominations. Patrick dropped out of college when drama class sparked ...

as John Boreman *

as Patsy *

Chris Noth Christopher David Noth ( ; born November 13, 1954) is an American actor. He is known for his television roles as NYPD Detective Mike Logan on ''Law & Order'' (1990–95), Big on ''Sex and the City'' (1998–2004), and Peter Florrick on ''The ...

as Anthony Romano *

Bobby Cannavale Roberto Michael Cannavale (; born May 3, 1970) is an American actor. He is best known for various television roles, including leading roles in ''Third Watch'', ''Vinyl'', and ''Mr. Robot'', as well as recurring roles in ''Will & Grace'', which wo ...

as Louis "Butchie" Peraino *

Hank Azaria Henry Albert Azaria ( ; born April 25, 1964) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is known for voicing many characters in the animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), most notably Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Comic Book Guy, Sna ...

as Gerry Damiano *

Harry Reems Herbert John Streicher (August 27, 1947 – March 19, 2013), better known by his professional pseudonym Harry Reems, was an American pornographic actor and later a successful real estate agent. His most famous roles were as Doctor Young in ...

as Feminist Journalist *

Debi Mazar Deborah Anne Mazar Corcos (; born August 13, 1964) is an American actress and television personality, known for playing sharp-tongued women. She began her career with supporting roles in ''Goodfellas'' (1990), ''Little Man Tate'' (1991) and ''Si ...

as Dolly Sharp *

Wes Bentley Wesley Cook Bentley is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Ricky Fitts in '' American Beauty'' (1999), which earned him a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Supporting Actor; Seneca Crane in ''The Hunger Games'' (2012); Doyle i ...

as Thomas, The Photographer *

Eric Roberts Eric Anthony Roberts (born April 18, 1956) is an American actor. His career began with a leading role in ''King of the Gypsies'' (1978) for which he received his first Golden Globe Award nomination. He was nominated again at the Golden Globes fo ...

as Nat Laurendi * David Gueriera as Larry Marchiano

Production

Casting

In January 2011, pregnant

Kate Hudson Kate Garry Hudson (born April 19, 1979) is an American actress and businesswoman. She has received numerous awards and nominations, including a Golden Globe Award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award and a Satellite Award, as well as nominations f ...

was offered the part of Linda Lovelace while

was in talks to portray Lovelace's husband Chuck Traynor. The production of the film was planned to begin after the birth of Hudson's child and as of April 2011, the actress was still involved in the project. However, on November 1, 2011,

and

were reported to be in discussions to play Lovelace and Traynor.

announced on November 16, 2011, that she would play Lovelace's mother. In December 2011,

and

were cast as Lovelace's best friend and Larry Marchiano, her second husband. In December 2011, Franco received the part of

, and

landed the respective roles of John Boreman (Lovelace's father), Gerry Damiano, Anthony Romano and Butchie Peraino. On January 2, 2012,

and

were cast as

and Nat Laurendi, while

Demi Moore Demi Gene Moore ( ; née Guynes; born November 11, 1962) is an American actress. After making her film debut in 1981, Moore appeared on the soap opera ''General Hospital'' (1982–1984) and subsequently gained recognition as a member of the Bra ...

agreed to a cameo appearance as

Gloria Steinem Gloria Marie Steinem (; born March 25, 1934) is an American journalist and social-political activist who emerged as a nationally recognized leader of second-wave feminism Second-wave feminism was a period of feminist activity that began in ...

. A few weeks later she dropped out of the film for personal issues and was replaced by

Sarah Jessica Parker Sarah Jessica Parker (born March 25, 1965) is an American actress and television producer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including six Golden Globe Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 1 ...

. However, Parker's cameo was ultimately deleted.

Cory Hardrict Cory Hardrict (born November 9, 1979) is an American actor. He has appeared in film and television since the late 1990s. Personal life Hardrict was born in Chicago, Illinois. After dating for six years, Hardrict and actress Tia Mowry were engage ...

and

play

Frankie Crocker Frankie "Hollywood" Crocker (December 18, 1937 – October 21, 2000) was an American disc jockey who helped grow WBLS, the black music radio station in New York. Early soul radio According to popeducation.org, Crocker began his career in Buffalo ...

and Dolly Sharp.

plays a feminist journalist. To prepare for the role, Seyfried read Lovelace's books and studied videos of her speaking. She also watched the film '' Deep Throat'' and underwent a New York accent training. Seyfried said of Lovelace: "She was such a different person than what we expect. It's a good story to tell, and I'm really, really excited about it." Brody prepared for the role of Reems by watching his interviews. He told that "the arrest and indictment of Reems on federal charges of conspiracy to distribute obscenity across state lines" are not shown in the film. He described as "brotherly" the relationship Reems shares with ''Deep Throat'' co-star Lovelace, explaining that "he was the antithesis of her husband

raynor Raynor is an English surname which was first found in the historic county of Yorkshire and was brought to England after the Norman Conquest as Reyner. The name Reyner either derived from the Old Norse ''Ragnar'' meaning 'counsel' or the Gallo-Roman ...

Filming

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' reported on January 13, 2012 that filming had already begun in Los Angeles. A few days later, photographs of

as Linda Lovelace on a film set were published. Scenes were shot in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...

. Filming wrapped in February 2012. Epstein used "grainy"

16 mm film 16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, educ ...

as a reference to the 70s films depicted in the plot. During the filming, the cooperation between Seyfried and Sarsgaard went so well that she called him with hindsight "the best actor I've ever worked with".

Post-production

's scenes did not make it into the final version due to the time setting for the end of the film being changed from 1984 to 1980. As a result, the role of Gloria Steinem became unnecessary.

Release

The film

premiered A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its first ...

at the 2013

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

on January 22, 2013. The film was released in the United States on August 9, 2013.

Reception

''Lovelace'' was met with mixed reviews. According to

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, 53% of critics have given the film a positive review, based on 129 reviews with an average rating of 5.68/10. The website's critical consensus states: "Amanda Seyfried and Peter Sarsgaard do their best with the material, but ''Lovelace'' lacks enough depth and conviction to truly do its fascinating subject justice." The film also has a

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

score of 51 out of 100, based on 37 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Todd McCarthy Todd McCarthy (born February 16, 1950) is an American film critic and author. He wrote for ''Variety'' for 31 years as its chief film critic until 2010. In October of that year, he joined ''The Hollywood Reporter'', where he subsequently served ...

of ''

'' wrote the film was "smartly done".

Richard Roeper Richard E. Roeper (born October 17, 1959) is an American columnist and film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times''. He co-hosted the television series '' At the Movies'' with Roger Ebert from 2000 to 2008, serving as the late Gene Siskel's success ...

gave the film a B+, commenting that it "never really feels triumphant or inspirational. It's very well-made and well-acted, but it's a reminder that the most famous porn star of the most famous porn movie ever made was a victim through and through." On the other hand, ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' Rob Nelson complained the true story behind the film had been simplified to a "series of cartoonish vignettes". Amanda Mae Meyncke endorsed Seyfried's portrayal as "excellent" but considered the film all in all only "mediocre". Doubts were also raised as to the historical accuracy of the film's narrative. In particular, Gerard Damiano Jr., son of the director of ''Deep Throat'', and Eric Danville, Linda Lovelace's biographer, spoke to The Rialto Report about how the film conflated spousal abuse with the treatment of actors in the adult film industry.Deep Throat: Damiano, Lovelace.. and “Lovelace”
The Rialto Report, September 8, 2013

Music

The soundtrack to ''Lovelace'' was released on September 9, 2013.

References

External links

* * * *
’70s Sex Star Fascinates a New Era
Dave Itzkoff,

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

, February 10, 2012
Deep Throat: Damiano, Lovelace.. and “Lovelace”
a
The Rialto Report
September 8, 2013 {{DEFAULTSORT:Lovelace 2013 films 2013 biographical drama films 2013 independent films American biographical drama films Films about pornography Films directed by Rob Epstein Films directed by Jeffrey Friedman Films set in the 20th century Films set in the 1970s Films set in the 1980s Films set in Florida Films set in Los Angeles Films set in New York City Films shot in Los Angeles American independent films American nonlinear narrative films Films scored by Stephen Trask Films about domestic violence Cultural depictions of Linda Lovelace Cultural depictions of Hugh Hefner 2013 drama films Biographical films about actors Films shot in 16 mm film 2010s English-language films 2010s American films